The Sultanah Ch. 02

"Let us see the traitor!" a voice cried out after a moment that could be hurt over the general murmur. The crowd instantly began to cheer. I nodded my head and indicated that the men should rise up from the prisoner. The men in the dogpile warily began to rise up off of the cloaked man. He was limp on the ground and two men grabbed his arms and pulled him up so that he was facing me. His head drooped down to his chest and I could only see the top of his hood.

"Take off his hood, let me see him," I ordered. One man roughly grabbed the hood from the man's head and threw it back. I heard the crowd gasp. I heard a gasp of air escape my own throat. I couldn't believe it. And yet I could. I knew now why I had recognized the man's voice. I looked at the crowd and they stared back at me expectantly. I knew what I was supposed to do.

"Cardinal Rahip," I said coolly, "You have committed treason. Your life is forfeit."

* * * * *

"I will uphold the sacred and ancient rights of the Peers and follow the customs as they were established in Sultan Itirafçi IV's time. And I solemnly swear on my life, my lands, and my honor that I will, with Gunes' aid and instruction, serve the needs of the Empire above myself," I said, repeating back the words I had just heard. I was standing in the throne room, surrounded by peers and their wives. They stood in rapt attention, silent and gazing at me. The entire hall was decked in red. Even the windows were covered in red, giving the light an eerie pink aspect that made me feel as if I was inside of a massive womb. But red was the symbolic color of Gunes and this was the first coronation overseen by Gunes in nearly a thousand years.

"Peers of the Realm," Cin said loudly, gazing about the room. She then placed her thumb in an urn full of sacred oil. She pulled it back out, dripping, and then placed it gently against my forehead, anointing me, "I present to you the 57th rightful occupant of the Imperial Throne. Sultanah Varis I, long may she live!

"Love live the Empire. Long Live the Sultanah!" the peers called back as one.

"Love live the Empire!" I called back to them. I then took the Imperial Crown from a different priestess standing next to Cin, and carefully placed it on my head. At that signal, the throne room erupted into applause. Men whistled and stamped their feet and women clapped until their hands were red. I stood high above them on the coronation platform, brought to the throne room for the first time in decades. I smiled down at my most illustrious subjects, waving to them gently and displaying my imperial bearing.

Despite the near unanimous acclaim that greeted my formal coronation, as I looked around the room, I could see a few faces whose expressions did not match the raucous show of approval. Collaborationists.

After I had caught Cardinal Rahip, along with the rider (who turned out to be a member of King Sican's personal guard), there had been great turmoil in their camp. They had quickly repudiated the Cardinal and claimed that they had no knowledge of his plans. And what plans they were. The documents secured from the horseman by the lone surviving guard (named Saygili, in case you were curious) indicated that the horseman had snuck into the city, slayed the guards, and opened the gate so that Cardinal Rahip could provide him with maps, blueprints of the palace, and the names of important Loyalist lords to kill instantly. My location, of course, was on the top of the list. It was a plan to destabilize the top of the Empire's hierarchy before the attack. It almost certainly would have worked.

The documents did not include the names of any traitorous Peers, but did obliquely refer to "our friends within the walls" on several occasions. No lord, of course, admitted to being such a friend, and Cardinal Rahip would not name any names, despite our best attempts at...persuasion. He would only explain that as King of Dusman, King Sican was the chief servant of Tanri on Earth and that, in resisting him, I was committing a grievous sin. He claimed to be saving my soul by turning my body over to my enemies. Sican's guard refused to provide any information, not even his name. Both were currently in the palace dungeon, awaiting trial (a mere formality) and execution.

The end result had been the collapse of the Collaborationist position as it related to the coronation. Many Collaborationist had quickly called for Cin to conduct the coronation in order to shore up their bona fides as loyal subjects of the Empire. While none of them actually wanted a coronation conducted by Gunes, they were left without room to operate. The leadership of the New Religion was instantly seen as traitorous because of Rahip's actions: Tanri was seen as Dusman's God more firmly than ever. Even down below the leadership, many people were looking at the New Religion through skeptical lenses. Gunes provided the only viable alternative and, as it was the ancient God of our people, a level of respectability that no other coronation could provide. Cin had refused their advances, but she held no grudge against me. When I went to her chambers and asked her personally, she instantly agreed. She pretended as though my earlier decision to spurn Gunes had never occurred. I wonder if she knew about the beam of red light. Regardless, that was how I found myself in a red dress standing in a sea of red being declared the Sultanah by the Priestess Cin.

"Come Sultanah," Cin said, leaning up and whispering into my ear, "You must be anointed before the people." I nodded quickly and looked around the room once more. Under the New Religion, a Sultan was crowned before his nobles in his throne room and then a declaration was made by the Cardinal to the people, attesting to the arrival of a new Sultan. Gunes was the God of all of the Empire's people. As such, Gunes would not stand for an intermediary. Therefore, under Gunes, two coronations occurred. I was crowned before the Peers, and then I would walk to a balcony overlooking the Central Market, where my people were gathered, and once again stand for coronation.

"Peers," I said, and the crowd got quiet. I was simply following a script I'd practiced hour after hour for several days, "I thank you for your reception. Gunes has certainly been bountiful in providing me with fine noblemen. But the Empire is more than Noblemen just as it is more than a Sultanah. I must go to my people, so that they might know me."

"Love live the Sultanah!" A voice called again and the crowd cheered. I smiled at them and then, with Cin and the other Priestesses, descended from the coronation platform. I was actually happy to be done with this part of the ceremony. While it was very gratifying to be crowned, I was nervous about the peers. I knew now that it was hard to know who to trust. Further, I'd learned that attempting to win over my enemies would be more difficult than I'd assumed. I was excited, however, to be going to my second coronation.

After my adventure in the streets (chasing down spies and saving the city in just the nick of time) my star was on the rise amongst the commons. The story had grown greatly during retellings and I heard that the people now believed that I had killed the horseman by chasing him down on foot outside the city walls as he galloped away. Regardless, I was feted as a hero who had saved the city. The fact that I richly rewarded the dozen or so men who'd tackled Rahip did not harm my popularity either (ten gold pieces apiece, if I recall. A pittance or a fortune depending on your perspective). Further, I was not reputed to have mystical powers including the ability to heal the sick and make myself invisible to my enemies. I did nothing to disabuse the people of these fallacies. Whatever doubts the people once had, they were not at least willing to consider supporting me. As Kardes had explained, I could not take any allies for granted.

And so it was with palpable excitement that I went to greet my people in the streets. But first I had to get out of the throne room. As we reached the floor the peers moved out of the way, providing a path toward the rear door, toward my chambers. The men smiled and stuck out their hands to be shaken as I made my way through the crowd. I smiled back and did my best to behave as I believed a Sultanah should. The crowd was still cheering loudly. Finally, I reached the door, opened it and slipped into the hallway that led to the family quarters.

When the door shut behind me, the noise of the Peers softened. Only four people were with me now. There was Cin, two other Sun Priestesses who had aided Cin during the ceremony (they were her two chief subordinates in her order, Agiz and Got), and finally Saygili, whom I had promoted to my personal guard in recognition of his admirable service.

"Well," I said to Cin, "I believe that went well." I sighed and let my shoulders slouch slightly.

"Yes, Gunes provided a wonderful ceremony," she said, nodding sagely.

"Did I do well?" I asked.

"Absolutely your grace," Saygili said. Cin gave him an indulgent smile. I think she respected his dogged loyalty to me.

"You made no mistakes," Cin said, "You have given your enemies nothing to rejoice in." I closed my eyes and nodded. I knew now that I was walking a tightrope and I had been nervous about every aspect of my peerage coronation.

"Well then let us go to the next ceremony," I said. I turned and started to walk towards the stairs.

"What is the problem?" I asked. Cin looked at her sister priestesses and then smiled at me. However, only Saygili followed me. After a few steps I stopped moving.

"Your grace the second ceremony is not in that direction," she said.

"I think I know how to navigate the palace," I said, wondering if this was some sort of joke. I had been heading toward the garden where I had seen the red light. I had decided that was an auspicious location for my public coronation. This stairway led to that location.

"No your grace. You are heading toward the third ceremony," she said.

"Third ceremony?" I was confused.

"Your grace, you must be anointed by the Lords, by your priestesses, and by your commons. You have not received your spiritual anointment. That ceremony will be conducted in your quarters," I had no idea what she was talking about.

"We only rehearsed two ceremonies..." I said.

"This could not be rehearsed. Fear not, it will be a simple ceremony," she said. Then she turned and began walking toward my father's old quarters. My new quarters. I looked at Saygili and he shrugged. I could not very well go to the commons by myself, so I quickly went after my priestesses, more confused than even I usually was around Cin. They were already at my father's door.

"Guard, wait here and admit no one," Cin said to Saygili. He nodded and stopped. I walked up to my three priestesses and we entered the room together. Cin closed the door behind us.

My father's quarters, now mine, were exceptionally large and dramatic. There were five large windows that stretched from the floor two the ceiling, nearly 20 feet high. The floor was marble with thick fur rugs. A fountain was placed in the middle of the room that provided cool drinking water that was collected far from the sewage run-off of the city (most people drank where they pissed). There was a large round bed on the right wall heaped with blankets and pillows. It was large enough to sleep 12, but designed only for the Sultan. Or Sultanah. The room was lavishly decorated with tapestries, sculptures, and paintings. Sofas, bars, and furniture of various sorts were arranged throughout the room. It was gaudy, as all such places were, and had the feel of a strange museum. I had not yet slept there, but I supposed I would move in that night.

"Are you going to explain to me what this is about?" I asked.

"It is your ceremony," Agiz said, the first time she'd spoken to me rather than Cin.

"To mark your start as Sultanah," Got added, against a first.

"No, I understand that. It is what you said before, but why am I only learning about it now?" I asked.

"Go sit on the edge of the bed, and I will explain it to you," Cin said. I didn't see any reason to object so I walked over and sat down on the bed, facing toward the fountain in the center of the room. The three priestess arranged themselves in front of the fountain. They stood erect, side by side, with Cin in the middle. They all held hands and looked at me intently. I felt a strange, rumbling within my stomach that I could not explain. The room suddenly seemed lighter and it felt like the sun was shining more brightly through the window.

"Cin...?" I started.

"The Sultan of Ülke is not a mere political office," she boomed suddenly, her voice sounding clear and powerful, "The Sultanate and Gunes are one, tied together in bonds of matrimony. For many, many years the political office of Sultanate has tried to divorce itself from the spiritual bonds. The result has been the rending of the Empire. Discord in the spiritual marriage in the Empire has resulted in political calamity and religious collapse.

"Today, Sultanah Varis I, you have chosen to turn the tides of history. You have decided to re-establish the bond between Gunes and Ülke. You have determined to end the discord and return the Empire to its former glory, with Gunes at its head," she said. I, of course, had no purpose beyond saving my own skin and avenging my family. But I did not let her know that. Besides, Gunes was also the God of Revenge.

"In ancient times, the Sultan of Ülke and the Sun Priestesses were united in fact to demonstrate the symbolic unity of Empire and God. Just as a Sultan might have an earthly, political wife to further the needs and interests of the profane world, he also would have divine wives to further his needs and interests in the spiritual world. Today, in honor of your coronation, we reestablish that tradition, to consummate the dawn of a new day!"

"Amen!" the other two priestesses said.

"Divine wife? What are you..." I began, but before I could speak any further, Cin snapped her fingers. There was suddenly a sound like thunder and an incredible flash of red light. I shielded my eyes briefly, wondering what it was that I had seen. But as my eyes once again focused, I found that my bafflement increased, rather than dissipated. The three priestess still stood before me in front of the fountain. But their bright red dresses lay in piles at their feet. All three women were naked before me!

I felt like all of the air had been knocked out of my lungs. I knew my mouth was gaping open and my eyes were wide. I knew that my reaction was primarily that of surprise (it is not often that women's clothing, even mystical women's clothing, simply departs on its own accord), but I was also stunned by the objective beauty of the women's bodies.

Given the striking dimensions of Cin's body, it would be a lie to claim I'd never wondered what she looked like beneath her robes. Now, seeing it exposed completely, I saw that my imagination was no match for the Sun God's. Cin's long, red hair cascaded over her shoulders and lay heavy and silky across the tops of her breasts. Those breasts were not overly large, but sat up high on her chest. The breasts were perfectly shaped, dipping slightly down to the nipple on top and curving thick and heavy on the bottom. Her areolas were perfect round and a deep, red color. Her nipples were not over long not overly short and looked exquisite poking out just below her long red hair. While dressed, Cin looked slim to the point of hinting at a lack of feminine curves. However, naked I was able to see that her body tapered down from her high breasts to a very thin waist before rapidly curving outward to her round hips. Between her legs I could see a small patch of well-trimmed deep red hair and a hint of her sex below it. Her legs were incredibly long when freed from their dress and tapered down to her small feet. In short, Cin's body did honor to Gunes, who was also the God of Beauty.

Cin's appearance would have been grounds enough for veneration. But her beauty was compounded by that of her two assistants. I had noted while they were clothed that they bore striking resemblances to one another. I knew that the Temple of Gunes sent scouts far and wide to find young girls who bore the appearance of Gunes' legendary lover, Dostum. These girls were then rendered infertile in a secret ceremony and raised to become Sun Priestesses. However, I saw now that the appearance these women bore was not simply uncanny, it was nearly impossible. Both Agiz and Got were around two inches shorter than Cin, but they had the same hair, the same breasts, the same hips, the same legs. Their appearance was nearly identical. Only slight variations in their faces made their identities apparent. Agiz had a somewhat long (though not unattractive) nose and a gold capped tooth. Got had exceptionally large eyes and lips that were naturally almost a purple color. But, fully exposed, these differences seemed minor. I was overwhelmed by the sight.

"Sultanah..." Cin said, seeming to sense the freezing of my thoughts.

"Cin..." I said, with every intention of asking her a question, but she smiled at me sweetly, her eyes bright and the next words passed unbidden from my lips, "You are so beautiful. You all are."

"Thank you. A wonderful thing to say to your divine wife," Cin said and the other two priestesses laughed subtly. I felt my cheeks get red. What did this "wife" business mean? While I was considering that, my three new "wives" started to move towards me. They closed the distance between the fountain and my bed quickly. They moved in unison but without signal, as though pulled by the same force at the same time.

I noticed as they move briskly that their breasts bounced gently against their bodies. I noticed the way that their hips moved and the gentle touch of their feet on the marble floor. I saw their hair sway softly and their faces burn with intensity. The sexual power of the three women moving together was undeniable. I felt my face grow still redder as I felt my cock, covered in my flowing red gown, begin to harden.

Since my experience with Arkadas, I had done my best to return to my previous state as it related to sex. Specifically, I had tried to pretend that I was a woman like any other. No, that was not correct. I attempted to pretend to myself that I was completely devoid of any sexual nature. However, as I noted earlier, I found it impossible to place as firm a lid on my sexuality as I had before. I could not help but notice, for example, the extreme sexual beauty of Arkadas body. I was unable, internally, to master my sexual thoughts. But I did my best to master those feeling externally. That meant that I did not look at those I found to be beautiful (I would try to turn away), I would not express any admiration for anyone's appearance, and (most importantly) I would not touch my sexual organs. I still did not believe it was a lady's place to pleasure herself and so, since that morning with Arkadas, I had been chaste even with myself. Now, on the bed surrounded by objectively beautiful women, I found that that the internal was made embarrassingly external.

"Do not be ashamed," Agiz said and my head shook involuntarily. The women kept moving towards me

"We are your divine wives," Got stated.

"You need not hide anything from us," Cin said. Once again there was an incredible crack of thunder and a blinding light. This time it felt like the sound was coming from inside of my head. I would have screamed in terror if I'd been able to, but my body felt frozen. Then, just as quickly as before, my room was back as it had been. But once again, a woman had lost her clothes. I looked down at my body and saw my dress in a pile on the floor. My breasts were exposed and I felt half tempted to cover them with my hand. But my hard cock was pressing up from between my legs and I realized that there was no way to cover my exposure. I was naked before my "divine wives."